Attorneys for New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation and former Adirondack Explorer Editor Phil Brown have filed notices of appeal of a judge’s ruling that uninvited paddlers have no right to canoe the 1.8-mile Mud Pond Waterway in privately owned Brandreth Park in the northwestern Adirondacks.

As we head into a new year, the Adirondack Explorer looks back at the most-read online stories of 2018. This one struck close to home for a lot of readers. A St. Bernard died in July after suffering distress from extreme heat. Despite efforts to cool the 180-pound dog in the shade, he later died. Read the story here.

As we head into a new year, the Adirondack Explorer looks back at the most popular online stories of 2018. Hikers love a patch challenge and the Saranac 6ers is a favorite. The Explorer republished a 2013 story about the challenge and it became one of the most-read of the year. Hikers who climb all six peaks earn a patch and the right to ring the 6er bell at downtown Saranac Lake’s Berkeley Green. Read the story here.

As we head into a new year, the Adirondack Explorer looks back at the most popular online stories of 2018. According to the DEC, a Timber Rattlesnake was killed illegally by a contractor. Timber Rattlesnakes are a threatened species in New York State, which made this story one of the Adirondack Explorer’s most popular reads of the year. This article from the Explorer also contained the latest ECO reports of other environmental incidents in the Adirondack region. Read the story.

As we head into a new year, the Adirondack Explorer looks back at the most popular online stories of 2018. The state has planned to cut a snowmobile trial in the Blue Ridge Wilderness. Adirondack Wild has argued that this would violate Article 14 of the constitution, which mandates the forest preserve be kept as “wild forest land forever”. The debate over whether plans to cut the trail are constitutional made this a popular read on the Explorer’s website. Read the story.